Grand Imam of Al-Azhar invites Yunus to deliver speech at the millennium-old institution

Ahmed Eltayeb, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Al Sharif, on Tuesday said Bangladesh would prosper and grow under the leadership of the country's chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus.

The head of one of the most respected Islamic religious institutions also invited Prof Yunus to deliver a speech at the millennium-old institution, saying the Al-Azhar University would announce new fully funded scholarships for the Bangladeshi students.

The Al-Azhar Grand Imam said this when he called on Prof Yunus at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the Azerbaijan capital Baku on Tuesday morning, according to a press release of the chief adviser's press wing.

"We are optimistic about the future of Bangladesh under your leadership. You are a man of wisdom," Ahmed Eltayeb said, adding the country would reach a new height after the revolution.

"I salute you for adopting wiser approach," he said.

Prof Yunus thanked the Grand Imam for the invitation. He also invited the Grand Imam to visit Bangladesh and to see for himself the profound changes brought in by the student-led mass uprising.

During the meeting, the chief adviser spoke about the mass uprising and the reform initiatives undertaken by Bangladesh's interim government.

The Grand Imam hoped that Bangladesh would carry out the reforms. He praised Prof Yunus's leadership, his social services, Grameen Bank's pioneering role as a microlender, and his lifelong efforts to combat poverty.

Prof Yunus expressed his gratitude to Al-Azhar, saying way back in the early 1980s when he launched the Grameen Bank, the top Sunni Islamic institution decreed that the microlender's interest system was not in conflict with Islamic teachings.

The chief adviser handed a copy of the Art of Triumph, the celebrated art book on the wall murals and graffiti painted during the revolution, to the Grand Imam.

The Grand Imam appreciated the artistic skills of the Bangladesh students.
He also praised the Bangladeshi students who are now studying at the Al-Azhar University.